FOUR years ago, sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow forced the closure of a 20-mile stretch of the M8 motorway, with drivers stranded in vehicles overnight.

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BRITAIN faces another big freeze this winter with temperatures expected to plunge to -10C around New Year.

The Met Office have warned of biting easterly winds from Russia carrying the “Beast from the East”, causing extreme conditions similar to the deep freeze of December 2010.

Four years ago, sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow forced the closure of a 20-mile stretch of the M8 motorway, with drivers stranded in vehicles overnight.

The latest cold winds are expected to bring long icy spells stretching to a week or more at times.

The big freeze is likely to be a shock to Brits after last winter – the fifth warmest on record.

The Met Office’s forecast for the three months between November and January predicts: “Winds will change from westerly to an easterly phase which can lead to a greater incidence of blocking patterns, increasing the probabiility of cold weather.”

Meanwhile, wet weather is predicted to stay throughout the countdown to Christmas.

Heavy rain is expected to sweep across most of the country today, with south-west Scotland and south Wales most at risk of flooding, and is expected to continue through to the weekend as a succession of fronts batter Britain.